Hawkesbury Agricultural College (3527204314)

Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first

agricultural college This article lists agricultural universities and colleges around the world, by continent and country. Africa Algeria * Higher National Agronomic School (French name: Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique) Benin * Agricultural University of ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, based in Richmond. It operated from 1891 to 1989. It was established on 10 March 1891, and formally opened by Minister for Mines and Agriculture

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on 16 March. The college initially operated out of two historic residences in Richmond, " Toxana" and "Andrew Towns House", with construction of the campus buildings beginning from 1895. Two central campus precincts, the Quadrangle (the initial teaching area) and Stable Square (the initial base for student practical work), both date from this initial 1890s phase of construction. Stable Square, now the main student recreation and support facility, was designed by

Walter Liberty Vernon Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...

; it was completed in 1895, burned down in April 1896, and was then rebuilt. The college was operated by the state Department of Agriculture. Initially offering a two-year full-time residential course in general agriculture, it expanded to three years in 1910, after which time the course became known as the Hawkesbury Diploma in Agriculture. A dairying diploma was also introduced in 1910. The first female students were admitted in 1971, at which time the college began relaxing requirements that students reside on campus. It became a

College of Advanced Education The College of Advanced Education (CAE) was a class of Australian tertiary education institution that existed from 1967 until the early 1990s. They ranked below universities, but above Colleges of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) which offer t ...

from 1 January 1972. It continued to be operated by the Department of Agriculture until 1976, after which time it became autonomous with its own governing council. It operated a separate residential campus at Scheyville, using the former

Officer Training Unit, Scheyville The Officer Training Unit, Scheyville (OTU Scheyville, pronounced Skyville) was a military training establishment for officers of the Australian Army. Located in the area of in the Hawkesbury region of Sydney, Australia, the establishment was ...

buildings, from 1977 to 1983. It was solely residential, with all teaching remaining at the Richmond campus, and the college opted to consolidate all operations there at the conclusion of its five-year lease. Notable faculty included George Lowe Sutton, while notable students included Walter Lawry Waterhouse. In 1985, Premier

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman ...

initiated a Higher Education Board inquiry into higher education in

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, headed by Ron Parry. The report recommended the amalgamation of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College and the

Nepean College of Advanced Education Nepean College of Advanced Education was an Australian higher education institution (College of Advanced Education) from 1973 to 1989. It was formed on 5 November 1973 by the amalgamation of the Westmead Teachers' College, which had opened in 196 ...

to form a new university. The state government gave effect to the report's recommendations in the ''University of Western Sydney Act 1988'', and the college formally amalgamated into the new

University of Western Sydney Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia. The university in its current form was founded in 1989 as a federated network ...

from 1 January 1989. It thereafter became the university's Hawkesbury campus.

Notable graduates

References

Agricultural universities and colleges in Australia Education in New South Wales Predecessor institutions of Western Sydney University Colleges of Advanced Education 1891 establishments in Australia Agriculture in New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-struct-stub